With the increasing popularity of electronics such as desktop computers, laptop computers, and handheld devices such as smart phones and PDA's, communication networks, and in particular Ethernet networks, are becoming an increasingly popular means of exchanging data of various types and sizes for a variety of applications. In this regard, Ethernet networks are increasingly being utilized to carry, for example, voice, data, and multimedia. Accordingly more and more devices are being equipped to interface to Ethernet networks.
As the number of devices connected to data networks increases, there will in turn be more need for servers and more need for higher speed networks. Accordingly, the amount of power being consumed by networking devices as well as computing platforms and storage devices, and consequently the associated environmental and economic cost, is becoming enormous. Furthermore, as the network speed and number of servers continue to increase and the system power as well as the power required to drive the network at high speed continues to increase, ways to utilize energy more efficiently are becoming increasingly important. For example, as an increasing number of portable and/or handheld devices are enabled for Ethernet communications, power consumption is increasingly important to maximize battery life.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.